Facility status information networked system

Abstract

A facility status information networked control, communication and display system with one or more monitoring stations and wireless communication with a portable pagers. Each station displays a facility layout and has indicia representative of specific designated areas of a facility which is available for use. The indicia communicates to a staff member a status or a need in a designated area of said facility. The station has a touch screen and the indicia is illuminated. The system has a programmable circuitry. Each station and each pager are capable of for sending and receiving updated status changes corresponding to each specific designated area, sending page requests to other users within the system, and sending text messages to other users within the system. Statistical data can be remote collected and stored on a computer for analysis by a facility operator. The pagers can be programmed to operate in a desired mode.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to a table, room or other facility status change reporting system such as a restaurant table status system, a clinic or hospital room status system, or room hospitality status change system and similar facility status change systems, in particular, the invention relates to a networked system, including remote wireless pagers, for real time monitoring and controlling table or room usage and availability and communicating table or room status to and between key stations and staffers simultaneously.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Facility monitoring systems are known in the art, but most require various staffers, and especially the host or Maitre-D in the restaurant business or the reception desk personnel at a hotel or motel or the nurse or receptionist at a clinic, doctor's office or hospital, to either travel partially through the facility to personally observe the status of a table or room or to use the phone to verify the status o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]The following is by way of example only of desired typical features and modes of operation of the present invention in a restaurant facility. One can easily see the inherent application of the system to a room status type of operation.

[0062]Electroluminescent panels are frequently used as backlights to liquid crystal displays. They readily provide a gentle, even illumination to the entire display while consuming relatively little electric power. This makes them convenient for battery-operated devices such as pagers, wristwatches, and computer-controlled thermostats and their gentle green-cyan glow is a common sight in the technological world. They do, however, require relatively high voltage. For battery-operated devices, this voltage must be generated by a converter circuit within the device; this converter often makes an audible whine or siren sound while the backlight is activated. For line-voltage operated devices, it may be supplied directly from the power line. Electroluminescent nightlights operate in this fashion.

Problems solved by technology

They do, however, require relatively high voltage.

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